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Ryan Mallett

UMFarArcher said:
This is just me, but the longest rip current rushing OUT to sea only lasted 150 yards - maybe 200 at the most.

It's just that it seems to scare them, they don't know what to do, they panic, swim directly toward shore which is useless, wear out, and drown - or cause someone else to assist, wear out, and THEY drown. I can't tell you how many surfers have had to grab them and get them back in.
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Swimming against the current will wear you out in literally just minutes. I mean completely wear you out.
 
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OriginalCanesCanesCanes said:
Isn't the most important thing, other than not going out if you’re inexperienced, to not try to “swim your way out of it“. I got caught in a current one time in a narrow channel between two islands and I just let it take me while I caught my breath, and just relaxed until I got my bearings.

It seems to me like what happens a lot is people all of a sudden start getting pulled, and panic, and then they start to swim hard, and after a while, your breath and muscles give out. Better to be picked up by a boat or someone on a paddle, half a mile out, than to wear yourself out and drown.
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Exactly right. Panic is what kills em. Granny flap on your back and light scissor kicks even in huge swells - you'll be fine if you keep your head on.
 
OrangeBowlMagic said:
I’ll be on Santa Rosa Beach for 3 days starting Friday and trust me I am not too big of a man to give that water the respect it deserves. Like you said, the past week or two has been absolutely deadly. Probably a dozen or more dead and well over 100 rescues in the panhandle just in the last week.
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And we got some more SW swell coming around the 6th, so weekend should be okayish. This time next week may be hairy again. Silver linings being that the national attention may get some compliance for that period. Just respect that gulf and don't panic if you get caught in a rip - better yet, stay the **** out if we're flying Red or DBL, lol.
 
harphong said:
And we got some more SW swell coming around the 6th, so weekend should be okayish. This time next week may be hairy again. Silver linings being that the national attention may get some compliance for that period. Just respect that gulf and don't panic if you get caught in a rip - better yet, stay the **** out if we're flying Red or DBL, lol.
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For sure. If I see those flags my *** will be up on the sand.
 
OriginalCanesCanesCanes said:
Isn't the most important thing, other than not going out if you’re inexperienced, to not try to “swim your way out of it“. I got caught in a current one time in a narrow channel between two islands and I just let it take me while I caught my breath, and just relaxed until I got my bearings.

It seems to me like what happens a lot is people all of a sudden start getting pulled, and panic, and then they start to swim hard, and after a while, your breath and muscles give out. Better to be picked up by a boat or someone on a paddle, half a mile out, than to wear yourself out and drown.
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Yes or swim diagonal to the current - lots of “guides recommend perpendicular to the current or parallel the shoreline “ but in the ocean with big surf you need to use the force of the ocean and also need to get out of the impact zone. It obviously depends on the size of the waves etc.

Take sunset beach on the north shore of Oahu - when the surf gets to 6-8’ Hawaiian and the NWS issues a high surf advisory - most people could not even paddle to shore on a surfboard against the outgoing current in the channel.
 
The ocean can change on a dime. The gulf is a little more predictable due to numerous variables, but I think that waves there are as strong or stronger than any waves I’ve surfed except some spots on the north shore of Oahu. I’m obviously not comparing to cloud breaks outer reefs and other big wave spots like mavericks etc.
 
UMFarArcher said:
When my sons got interested in surfing - before they started, I took them out to the beach in Destin a few days and showed them how to spot the undertow - and USE it to help them get out past the break.

Told them before they surf - they need to sit and study the beach for a few minutes. Find the better breaks. Note the undertow, and of course if they lost their board - to never fight the undertow - swim to the right or left to leave the "trough," - and THEN make your way back in.

We lose folks here every Summer. Sometimes kids, too often parents, and others who have no idea of what's UNDER the surface, and then try to swim against it - thinking the shortest distance is straight between two points.

I'm not in charge, but every tourist prior to checking in - should be required to watch a two or three minute video to show them the dangers, how to spot the undertow, how it works, and how to calmly swim out of it.

And if they're color blind. Red flags are bad. Double red flags are worser. No no's.

Unless the family is in the mood for a funeral.

What a waste.
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ask Garp.
 
harphong said:
This is what I do for a living. I'm one of the guys that makes the call to close the water up here in panhandle.

Our sugar sand creates people eating rips with 2 ft faced waves, straight onshore winds and sunny skies after a storm stretch...We had 2 last week.

Textbook. Second one- Dad trying help son. Dad ain't done a lick of cardio in 20....son flips out 150 feet from shore, not 150 yards. 150 feet. Watched our guys work the code from Beach cam.

People .....I am frustrated with people right now, but will tell you 85% of them comply w dbl reds.

It's the normalcy bias for outliers on vacay...we literally have dashcam footage of bystanders walking around a code scene to enter the rip we just pulled a victim from while we are packing for ALS. ITS ******* MINDBLOWING

We back down to single and they go ******* wild and start dying. Then we have to go back to dbl with ankle biters bc the rips are still pulling and people have zero base knowledge and/or outright defiance despilte our best efforts to educate before we resuscitate...
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Wasn't there 3 or so in last 30 days??

Curious, was Mallet (appears not a strong or knowledgeable swimmer) out in warning conditions?
 
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UMFarArcher said:
This is just me, but the longest rip current rushing OUT to sea only lasted 150 yards - maybe 200 at the most.

It's just that it seems to scare them, they don't know what to do, they panic, swim directly toward shore which is useless, wear out, and drown - or cause someone else to assist, wear out, and THEY drown. I can't tell you how many surfers have had to grab them and get them back in.
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Correct. It isn't that hard to survive a rip current if you have any sense of it. It isn't like monster tentacles are dragging you to the bottom.

With that said, obviously the death is tragic for his family. By the accounts, he was swimiming with a group who got themselves into trouble by a sandbar and he didn't survive.

#PeopleAreSoDelicate

UPDATE...

'No rip currents' involved in Ryan Mallett's drowning at Destin beach, officials say

www.foxnews.com

'No rip currents' involved in Ryan Mallett's drowning at Destin beach, officials say

Details are emerging in the death of former NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett, who was 35 years old when he drowned at a beach in Destin, Florida, on June 27.
www.foxnews.com www.foxnews.com

"...While an investigation is still underway, officials did say that there were "no rip currents" present when Mallett drowned, condition was yellow. A yellow flag indicates medium hazard, moderate surf and/or currents," Destin Beach Safety said. "There were no rip currents present in the area in which we responded to Ryan Mallett."

Mallett began struggling while attempting to swim to a second sandbar about 150 feet offshore, according to investigators with the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office..."

Again tragic accident; taking bets on alcohol impairment?

Maybe some sensitive porsters should update their profiles with a flag(s). Show you care deeply!!

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Empirical Cane said:
Wasn't there 3 or so in last 30 days??

Curious, was Mallet (appears not a strong or knowledgeable swimmer) out in warning conditions?
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Mallet situation was in Destin, next door.......I can't speak to what happened there....I have my opinion on what prolly happened, but it's not my right to speculate here. It was yellow and I agree w follow up OCSO statement that it wasn't rip related. Second sandbar adventure gone wrong.

We had 2. Had a pure medical as well. PCB has a grip and some...all rip related.
And what's ****ed is that it's not shocking to us.
The conditions and visitor density aligned.
 
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harphong said:
Mallet situation was in Destin, next door.......I can't speak to what happened there....I have my opinion on what prolly happened, but it's not my right to speculate here. It wS yellow and I agree w follow up ocso statement that it wasn't rip related. Second sanbar adventure gone wrong.

We had 2. Had a pure medical as well. Pcb has a grip and some...all rip related. And what's ****ed is that it's not shocking to us. The conditions and visitor density aligned.
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Was at Crab Island not to long ago. Amazed more didn't drown from stupidity. Great people watching.

Love your avatars btw.

#WhenYouAreDumbWearASign
#Don'tPeeInOceanSaltTurnsPurple
 
I wonder how many of the people that drowned were told to not get in the water by first responders? I read a story where first responders were being cussed out & given the finger for warning people not to get in the water? SMH!!!
 
Empirical Cane said:
It really isn't hard.
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While I agree, a lot of people are just really bad at swimming or think they are in much better shape than they are. As a flight nurse who has seen everything ever created people always over estimate their ability especially swimming. I use to work as a lifeguard for Palm Beach County Ocrean Rescue part-time when I was going through EMT and Paramedic school. I still remember how many times we would see tourists go out and think oh I can swim I am good and for **** sake these people couldn't make it 20 ****** yards without struggling and coming back in when there was just a little bit of surf or current.
 
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CaneSinceForEver said:
I wonder how many of the people that drowned were told to not get in the water by first responders? I read a story where first responders were being cussed out & given the finger for warning people not to get in the water? SMH!!!
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ALL of them. No hyperbole. ALL of them.

no BS - video feed of people literally walking around FRs working code to get right into the water we just pulled a victim out of. **** you not.

I have every guard talk to every person on the beaches - we're talking thousands of contacts, thousands of preventive actions per day.

I lose my voice and have a PA on my truck.

It's draining, but I admonish our peeps that the stretches of days that are moderate - lost kids and minor medicals are paid for with a stretch like we just had.

It's pancakes out here today.

and yeah - too many instances of our people got in damned near assault situations with ETOH/ plain asshats.

My sympatho-meter is seized up.
 
Morey161 said:
While I agree, a lot of people are just really bad at swimming or think they are in much better shape than they are. As a flight nurse who has seen everything ever created people always over estimate their ability especially swimming. I use to work as a lifeguard for Palm Beach County Ocrean Rescue part-time when I was going through EMT and Paramedic school. I still remember how many times we would see tourists go out and think oh I can swim I am good and for **** sake these people couldn't make it 20 ****** yards without struggling and coming back in when there was just a little bit of surf or current.
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You know Jimi McCrady!? He retired from PBC and runnin it now at Pompano!
UM alumn! Helluva dude
 
rsa coral gables said:
ask Garp.
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We don't get any undertow or rip tides here - our table is like 18 inches - it's rip currents.... Destin pass gets a bit of rip tide on rough days, but undertow and rip tides are vernacular colloquialisms for rip currents - it's annoying to us in the industry, but understandable that people use those terms interchangeably.
 
surfcane said:
The ocean can change on a dime. The gulf is a little more predictable due to numerous variables, but I think that waves there are as strong or stronger than any waves I’ve surfed except some spots on the north shore of Oahu. I’m obviously not comparing to cloud breaks outer reefs and other big wave spots like mavericks etc.
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Fingers at Destin pass on a spring hard SE swell - great memories there in 09-10. I know you know that spot.
 
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